Shloka 23

Matsya Purana — Nārāyaṇa as Haṃsa in the Cosmic Ocean: Vedic Yajña-Puruṣa and Mārkaṇḍeya’s Vi...

Devanagari script

ददर्श चापि पुरुषं स्वपन्तं पर्वतोपमम् सलिले ऽर्धमथो मग्नं जीमूतमिव सागरे //

Transliteration

dadarśa cāpi puruṣaṃ svapantaṃ parvatopamam salile 'rdhamatho magnaṃ jīmūtamiva sāgare //

Translation

He also beheld a man, asleep and mountain-like in form—half-submerged in the water—like a mass of clouds resting upon the sea.

Word by Word

• ददर्श (dadarśa): he saw, beheld

• चापि (cāpi): and also

• पुरुषम् (puruṣam): a man, a person

• स्वपन्तम् (svapantam): sleeping

• पर्वतोपमम् (parvatopamam): comparable to a mountain, mountain-like

• सलिले (salile): in the water

• अर्धम् (ardham): half

• अथो (atho): then/indeed

• मग्नम् (magnam): submerged, sunk

• जीमूतम् (jīmūtam): a cloud-mass, a bank of clouds

• इव (iva): like

• सागरे (sāgare): in/on the ocean.

Speaker

• Narrator (Purana narration within the Matsya Purana’s pralaya account; likely framed by Suta to the sages, with the wider episode connected to Matsya–Manu tradition)

Entities Mentioned

• Puruṣa (a man/person)
• Salila (waters)
• Sāgara (ocean)

Tags

• Pralaya
• Deluge imagery
• Cosmic sleep
• Vision
• Matsya Purana narrative

FAQs

What does this verse reveal about the creation or dissolution (Pralaya)?

It uses vivid pralaya imagery: a being lies in a sleep-like state while the world is water-covered, suggesting cosmic suspension and dissolution where forms appear half-submerged in the deluge.

How does this verse relate to the duties of a King or Householder?

Indirectly: it underscores impermanence during pralaya, reinforcing the Matsya Purana’s ethical thrust that kings and householders should uphold dharma and prepare through righteous conduct, since worldly stability can vanish like a flood.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vastu or ritual rule is stated; the verse is primarily descriptive, offering symbolic imagery (sleep, submergence, ocean) sometimes used by later tradition to frame rites of protection and renewal after calamity.